New App Seateroo Lets You Pay to Switch Seats on a Plane

Kylie Kendall·Jan 8, 2016

There’s an app for pretty much every problem we encounter these days. Sent a text you really shouldn’t have? There’s an app for unsending texts. Can’t sleep? There are tons of sleep apps for that. And now, if you’re stuck in a terrible seat for that 12-hour plane ride, there’s an app for that too, and it’s called Seateroo.

Seateroo, launching in January, boasts one of the smartest ideas we’ve ever seen. It’s an app that connects people on the same flight who want to switch seats once they’re on the plane. If you’re stuck beside someone talking way too loudly on their phone or behind someone who needs to have their seat fully reclined at all times, no more awkwardly asking a flight attendant if there are any vacant seats while hoping your seat-mate doesn’t hear. Instead, you just open up Seateroo and check if anyone else is selling their seat. If you’re really lucky, you might even snag a window seat.

On the flip side, maybe you’re travelling by yourself, don’t really mind being in a middle seat or stuck beside a crying baby (babies are adorable even if they’re crying, are we right?!) and want to make a little extra cash to spend at your destination. Open up the app, name your price and put your seat on the market! The minimum amount for a swap is $5, but Seateroo did a study while developing the app and found that the average person is willing to pay about $24 for a better seat. That’s definitely enough to nab a cute souvenir from wherever you’re headed!

You can also negotiate prices through the app, making it even more likely you’ll be super happy with your new seat. And don’t worry, you won’t have to shadily slide your seat-swapper some cash: All payments are processed electronically through the app.

Seateroo’s website doesn’t give us a specific launch date, but expect it sometime in January. You can get more updates here.

Would you use an app to get a better seat on a plane? Or to sell your seat? Tweet us your thoughts at @BritandCo!